The Exception To My Cool Composure
by TooApatheticToCare
Summary: Genderbent fic. All characters opposite genders. Will start off per canon and get darker as the books go on, beware. Mentions of femslash. Eventual Harry/Ginny (Harriet/Gino) Ginny is a boy, Harry is a girl, etc. The days get darker and my expectations get lower, and lower, until they're gone, and there's nothing left but the cold, unadulterated truth. The singular, untainted you.
1. Chapter 1

**ALL CHARACTERS GENDER BENT, this will go through the Hogwarts series bouncing between Harriet and Gino's POV, it will start off similarly to the books, but will change further on as characters and relationships develop.**

Gino Weasley was the only boy in a house of girls, and thus, was generally unafraid of the female sex. Unlike most boys around the age of ten and eleven, the sight of pigtails didn't inspire the desire to tug, and the sight of underwear didn't cause him to flush or titter, though he was cursed to laugh at poop jokes for the rest of his adolescent life. An avid reader, the boy had grown up watching as his sisters grew into powerful witches, and was often thoroughly engrossed in their schoolbooks, and magical fiction, delighting in tales of dragons and heroes, dark Lord's and dementors. His youngest sister, Riley was only a year above him, and the two had a close friendship throughout their childhood, Gino always looking up to the pretty girl, with awe in his eyes. They would run around the garden, play fighting and telling each other stories about Harriet Potter.

The girl who just happened to be the one exception to Gino's normally perfect composure around the opposing gender.

Riley was social, always had been, and, according to the letters sent between the close siblings, she and Harriet had bonded instantly on the train ride to school. For weeks after his sister's return from Hogwarts, all Gino could think about was his idol. He would befriend her, they would adventure as in the books. He expressed these dreams to Riley, who glared at him,

"She's my friend, not yours!" she snapped, "And besides, she wouldn't want to talk to you, anyway." The boy had been struck silent by the sharp words, though he was not unaccustomed to his sister's occasional bouts of malicious anger, such an attack had caught him by surprise, why wouldn't Harriet want to be his friend? He wasn't that much younger, less then a year, really, if you counted by months, and he would love to adventure with the girl, they could fight dragons and snakes and Slytherins… The thought of his idol not wanting anything to do with him bothered him for many weeks throughout the summer, fears plaguing him that he wasn't good enough to have anything to do with Harriet Potter. It turned out to be a self fulfilling prophecy, for when the girl arrived, far prettier then any of his books had shown her, he was so scared of angering her, he became tongue tied.

Riley never said anything about it, but her face often warped into a smirk across the table at dinner, growing into a full blown grin when he accidentally put his elbow into the butter dish when sitting opposite Harriet. The girl in question had noticed and smiled kindly at him, causing his face to heat up to a full blown inferno. He hadn't been able to make eye contact with anyone for hours after. By the end of the holidays, Gino was in despair, he was going to Hogwarts with no friends, for Riley had informed him that at school he had to make his own friends, as she had done, and he wasn't to come bothering her or Harriet.

He sat alone on the train ride to school, trying not to cry as he was whisked away from the safety of home, with no one to watch his back. Reaching into his rucksack, he pulled out a little black journal, feeling immensely grateful to his mother for packing it, and began to scrawl out his sorrows.

He never expected a response.

Thalia Riddle was kind, she wrote nice, nice things to him, things not even Riley had ever bothered to say, and by the time the train stopped, all traces of tears were gone, because Gino had a friend, and she was better then his stupid sister and her not-so-heroic pal. He was sorted into Gryffindor, and sat with his year group, ignoring the fact that neither Riley nor Harriet were at the table, despite the worry deep in his stomach.

Later that evening, the two girls entered the common room, flushed and shamefaced, before being pulled into a hug by a tall boy with curly brown hair, and then berated seconds later by the same figure. Gino tried to hide his scowl at the familiarity Harriet displayed with the boy, thinking about his dreams of adventuring with the Hero. He didn't need her, or anyone, not while he had his diary.

That was at the start of the year.

By half way, he was trapped in the prison of his own mind, lips sealed by what he would like to say was solely the monster possessing him, but was likely also the fear of being expelled, or called the heir of Slytherin. The diary that once offered him solace, was lobbed into the haunted boys bathroom toilet, and all traces of blood and feathers he found on his clothes promptly hidden. His troubles were far from over, though, as Harriet was seen wandering the halls, fiddling with the book. It took a lot of manoeuvring to get into the girls dormitories, yet he wasn't related to the Weasley twins for nothing, and soon the accursed book was back in his hands, and he was back under the monster's spell.

His memory of the year was gone after that point, and it was only months later, that he awoke, with a girl with a bloody hole in her arm sitting beside him, a phoenix flying around the ceiling, and the diary of Thalia Riddle destroyed, on the floor.

"Harriet!" he had gasped, as the girl gazed at him with teary, unfocused eyes, "It was me, I didn't mean to, I-" The girl cut him off,

"It's ok, Gino, don't worry, Riley's down that corridor, there was a rock fall, we-" the girl gasped in pain, her voice croaking, "got separated, she's clearing a path, she'll get you back home safely, don't worry, it's not your fault…" The girl's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed backwards, face deadly pale,

"Harriet!" he cried, he was sobbing uncontrollably, he was only twelve, this wasn't the fairytale ending he had been taught. Then the phoenix flew down, and made everything right with a few pearly tears, painting flesh over the tattered arm, and restoring colour to the dead girl's cheeks.

The hero woke up instantaneously, and caught his hand in her own, an act that would normally get him blushing, but he was so tired and scared, he couldn't even function. She pulled him to his feet and tugged him along with her. Soon they were in Dumbledore's office and all was well. Demon played and victim saved. Harriet the hero. Within weeks he was blushing at the sight of her, all over again.


	2. Chapter 2

Harriet Potter shut her eyes as the wind whipped her dark hair about her face, and pushed her oversized glasses up her nose for what felt like the hundredth time that hour, before throwing herself into a steep dive, holding her breath as she fell, toes brushing the grass before sweeping up into the sky once more. Harriet loved flying. Quidditch was fun and she was as swept up in the house competitions as anyone, but sometimes it was nice to just fly aimlessly, as she was doing now. The girl was clad in her pyjamas, her invisibility cloak discarded by the stands as she lost herself in the star spangled sky. There were a lot of thoughts plaguing her mind at the moment, but they were all waiting for her on the ground. The winter air attacked her mercilessly, leaving red, blotchy skin and blue tinted lips, goosebumps trailed her arms and legs as she loop-the-looped around the deserted pitch, but a heat burned under her skin that conquered the overwhelming cold she was feeling.

Harriet was thirteen years old, and Hogshead weekends were beginning in a week. The Dursleys had refused to sign her permission slip after an unfortunate incident with the blowing up of an aunt, and Sirius Black, who was for some reason, out to kill her, had escaped from Azkaban, the wizarding prison. Overall, Harriet had to say that her year wasn't looking good, though her past two years hadn't turned out so great either. Deciding that she had spent enough time trying to outfly her thoughts, Harriet clambered off her broom, wrapping herself in her cloak so only her head hovered in mid air, and sat on the slightly damp grass. Leaning back, she shut her eyes and tried to take deep breaths. Hogwarts School had originally been her safe haven, away from the Dursleys, and cruel words and 'Harriet Hunting', but as the years went by, the veneer began to crack. Her second year had left her with a bitterness on her tongue as she replayed the harsh accusations hurled at her by people she barely knew, the 'Heiress Of Slytherin' was a title she hadn't been able to shake throughout the year, despite the acknowledgment from anyone with half a brain that it was a ridiculous conclusion to draw. Even Demetria Malfoy had thought the idea nonsensical, though she didn't intentionally tell Harriet she thought so (Harriet had discovered instead with the aid of some Polyjuice Potion). Riley and Herbert had remained her constant, and she couldn't help but feel that if they stopped believing in her, nothing would keep her at Hogwarts. This mentality bothered the girl more then she cared to admit. Being raised on a diet of snide comments and violent gestures, Harriet hated relying on anybody, even her best friends, it was because of this that she had decided to network, a difficult task for someone as naturally introverted as the Girl-Who-Lived.

It had started off small, she told Riley and Hebert to partner up in their mutual classes and vowed to introduce herself to someone new every lesson. This had been surprisingly effective; Sagan Bones and Hadrian Abbot had easily accepted her into their three in Herbology, Michelle Corner had paired up with her for transfiguration and, most surprisingly, Blair Zabini from Slytherin had casually accepted her request to partner for Potions. This had the added effect of making Harriet nearly free from Snape's harsh comments and the other Slytherin's sabotage. However, it was in Ancient Runes that the greatest milestone had been reached, for some reason, Herbert had been almost twenty minutes late to their mutual class, and in that time, Harriet had began to rebuild bridges. Demetria Malfoy had sneered at Harriet upon her entrance to the room, and Harriet, despite her longing to start a fight, had walked over, and reintroduced herself, offering a tentative friendship that the Slytherin had warily accepted.

As such, Harriet's life had been thrown into turmoil, and Riley had been looking at her suspiciously and going into a rant every time she acknowledged one of the other house members, especially Slytherins. She had had to sneak out to get some peace and fly. She buried her head in her knees and then leapt to her feet with a shriek as something nudged her softly. Looking down, a large black dog sat staring up at her with grey eyes.

That was when Harriet's life began to unravel.

The dog had warped and grown until it stood taller then her, snout to jaw, fangs to teeth, Harriet was facing Siri Black. The woman was haggard and looked like she might once have been beautiful as she gazed at Harriet. Her voice was raw and unused as she smiled sadly and said,

"Your mother used to sneak out to fly, too." every nerve in Harriet's body was screaming for her to get out of there but she was paralysed. The woman's smile flickered and died on her face, "I'm not going to hurt you…" she whispered, "I would never…" she broke into a coughing fit and spat blood onto the grass. "You've been lied to, Petra Pettigrew is still alive."

"Then why are you here to kill me?" Harriet asked, beginning to back away slightly, she could fire a spell into the sky, but it would need to be bright and loud, no point dying for nothing, "She's at Hogwarts, that's what you're been saying."

"Petra is at Hogwarts. Petra killed your parents." all thoughts of escape fled Harriet's mind and she glanced around worriedly to make sure no one was coming. She gestured towards the forbidden forest and the two disappeared into the trees, where Harriet would be told a tale of love and deception and broken trust and dark lords.

The next day would paint her with bruises under her eyes as she clambered from her bed. Shadows seemed to lurk in every corridor and the movement of a rat in Riley's pocket would cause her to itch to lunge at the girl. But she had to wait, there was a clock, counting down in her mind as she went through the day pretending nothing was wrong. It was only once darkness fell, and steady snoring echoed the halls, that she clambered from bed and caught the rat in a jar with anti-animagus charms on it. The animal squeezed and thrashed as though it had already figured out it's fate and Harriet walked in an almost trance-like state, down to the forbidden forest.

The Rat was dead. Harriet had protested vehemently,

"How can we get your freedom if Petra Pettigrew if found dead?" she had asked. But the unshakable madness in Siri Black's eyes had overpowered the woman as she gazed at the rodent. Transforming into a dog, the woman had lunched forward and, in one swift movement, the rat was no more and Petra Pettigrew lay, butchered and broken on the floor. Harriet had cried then, screaming at the woman who sat, with blood on her chin and teeth, she did not cry for Petra Pettigrew, who she wanted to rot in hell, but for the shattered hope that she could escape the Dursley's prison and live a normal life. It was only after sitting with the glazed over and contented looking woman, that she wandered back home, blood staining her pyjamas and hands as she fell asleep instantly.

The next morning, she went straight to the library, barely acknowledging any of her friends. She sat, poring over books of wizarding law, eyes aching and frustration building as she saw nothing to help her with how to get her Godmother a trail. When the clock struck seven in the evening, after everyone had finished dinner, someone sat opposite her. Harriet didn't glance up, continuing to scan her current book until a voice asked,

"What are you looking for?" glancing up, Harriet's tired green eyes met those of Demetria Malfoy. The girl looked torn between amusement and sneering and Harriet sighed, deciding if anyone knew anything about law, Malfoy was her best bet.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" she asked, the girl raised an eyebrow

"Promises are difficult things Potter, just tell me." deciding that it was the best she was going to get, Harriet asked,

"If someone is imprisoned, and you want them to get a trail, what can you do? Is there any way to force a trail?" she asked, voice eager, the Malfoy Heiress bit her lip before answering,

"You can declare your right as a representative, calling upon wizarding law, you are then legally allowed to call a trial, but unless you have pretty hard core evidence or are willing to use veritaserum, then it probably won't come to anything." the girl said,

"Veritaserum?" asked Harriet, head beginning to ache a little less at the new information,

"Truth potion, means the person can't lie." Harriet nodded at this and asked,

"Who do you declare your right of representative to?"

"The Minister of Magic." the girl answered, standing up, "And Harriet?" she said quietly, "Here's a little bit of advice, that, if anyone asks, I never gave you. The Minister is a man very susceptible to bribery. You want something, then give him what he wants." The girl turned, and disappeared through the library exit, long blonde hair glowing like a halo as she left.


End file.
